By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press on March 19th, 2024
TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate Tuesday for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding policy of negative rates meant to boost the economy. The Bank of Japan’s lending rate for overnight borrowing by banks was raised to a range of 0 to 0.1% from minus 0.1% at ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 19th, 2024
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative government is set to table its final budget before voters head to the polls later this year in the provincial election. Liberal Leader Susan Holt says she hopes today’s budget focuses on health care and on the rising cost of living, and includes money for a fully funded school ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 19th, 2024
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada is set to release its February consumer price index report this morning. Economists expect the inflation rate to tick up above three per cent again after slowing to 2.9 per cent in January. The consensus expectation among forecasters is that prices rose 3.1 per cent last month from a year ago, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 19th, 2024
TORONTO – A new report suggests credit delinquencies among Canadian businesses are on the rise. Equifax Canada’s latest quarterly business credit trends report says there was a 14.3 per cent uptick in the number of businesses that missed a payment on a credit product between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 18th, 2024
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is planning to make it easier for workers to unionize, and to ban the use of replacement workers during labour disputes. The NDP government tried to introduce the bills, along with several others, in the legislature but the Opposition Progressive Conservatives used procedural tactics to stall the bills. If the ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 18th, 2024
OTTAWA – The federal government says it will host a summit on air accessibility in May amid what it calls “completely unacceptable” barriers to Canadians living with disabilities. Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez says airlines have failed to meet the treatment standards that passengers with disabilities deserve, calling for more responsibility from the aviation sector. Multiple ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By The Canadian Press on March 18th, 2024
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index crept lower on Monday even as the price of oil rose, while U.S. markets were led higher by the Nasdaq. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 11.97 points at 21,837.18. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 75.66 points at 38,790.43.The S&P 500 index was up ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By Stan Choe, The Associated Press on March 18th, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks rose ahead of a busy week for central banks around the world that could dictate where interest rates go next. The S&P 500 addded 0.6% Monday, coming off its first back-to-back weekly losses since October. It pulled close to its all-time high set early last week. The Dow Jones Industrial ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press on March 18th, 2024
The chief executives of Canada’s three largest telecom companies stressed that phone and internet prices are coming down during an appearance before MPs on Monday, noting that increased data usage and high spectrum costs may be some reasons Canadians feel otherwise. The three CEOs – Rogers Communications Inc.’s Tony Staffieri, BCE Inc.’s Mirko Bibic and ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By Anthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press on March 18th, 2024
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Monday. The review will focus on ways the state can speed up license processing times and allow businesses to open faster, ... Read More »
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